Small Steps: A Good-Health Guide

PARENTING has never been an easy job, but mothers and fathers today face challenges in raising their children that their own parents may never have had to address.

While children have always been picky eaters, for instance, parents today are trying to supply healthful food in a world dominated by chicken nuggets, processed snacks and soft drinks. Bike riding and hopscotch have given way to video games and text messaging. And working parents have to juggle day care, jobs and family.

At the same time, the barrage of health information on the Internet and elsewhere has introduced a higher level of stress for parents. Web sites promote supplements that increase a child’s brain health while news organizations report on the latest scare from baby bottles or too much television.

All of this makes raising a healthy child feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

This Well guide offers small steps and simple strategies to improve a child’s well-being in four areas — nutrition, development, playtime and safety. Inside, there’s advice from experts on how to raise a healthy, active youngster: tips on diet and behavior, help for problems like insomnia, and the latest thinking on day care, discipline and other topics. It’s all designed to help kids stay well every day.